Kerry says he sought more security for Bhutto

Wednesday

Jan 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMJan 30, 2008 at 3:01 PM

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who will travel to Pakistan to monitor Feb. 18 parliamentary elections, says President Pervez Musharraf denied private security to opposition candidate Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated on Dec. 27.

Tom Benner

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who will travel to Pakistan to monitor Feb. 18 parliamentary elections, says President Pervez Musharraf denied private security to opposition candidate Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated on Dec. 27.

Kerry said he met with Bhutto, a former Pakistan prime minister, in his Washington office shortly before her return to Pakistan on Oct. 18. The two discussed her fears for her personal safety as she prepared for elections scheduled for January in the strife-torn country, he said.

“She talked to me about security. I called the State Department and talked to them about the security,” Kerry said in a Patriot Ledger editorial board meeting. The Boston Democrat is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs, which includes Pakistan.

Bhutto narrowly escaped harm when suicide bombers struck her Oct. 18 homecoming rally in Karachi, killing more than 140 people. Following the attacks, Kerry said he spoke with Bhutto again and stepped up efforts to boost her private security.

“After the bomb when off, when she first got back, I called her and we talked,” Kerry said. “I called (Secretary of State) Condi Rice on her behalf and said Musharaff is not letting her have private security, she needs it, we need to intervene.”

Kerry said he never learned if State Department officials responded to his request. Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack while leaving a rally on Dec. 27 in Rawalpindi.

“I still don’t know to this moment whether they ultimately did intervene, but history is what it is,” Kerry said.

Joanne Moore, a State Department spokeswoman, said she could not immediately confirm whether Kerry and Rice discussed Bhutto’s personal security.

Kerry is among U.S. lawmakers who have criticized the Bush administration for its steadfast support of Musharraf despite his suspension of the constitution and declaration of emergency rule last year, his purge of the judiciary and the arrests of thousands of opponents.

Kerry is expected to be among a host of international observers monitoring next month’s elections.

Kerry said stabilizing Pakistan’s democratic government is key to bringing peace to the Middle East and South Asia.

“Getting this resolved in the long run is critical to us, not to mention to our security on a daily basis,” he said. “We don’t want kids being blown up 10 years from now because we have a holy war we haven’t been able to resolve.”